Teignmouth artist Sam Boughton has won The Brownston Gallery Award for her painting, Midnight on the Water, which she exhibited at The South West Academy Open Exhibition - Reflections 2020. The Brownston Gallery is one of the leading contemporary fine art galleries in the South West. It presents an impressive collection of local and national artists, sculptors and designers. Catherine Gillen, owner of the gallery in Modbury, said: 'Sam's work is full of movement and energy. In Midnight on the Water her strong marks and confident use of colour create a suggested landscape that shimmers in the moonlight. 'I look fonvard to seeing more from this talented young artist.'
Where the drama is... That's where Sam finds her inspiration for her dramatic landscapes. Sketching outside and painting at her studio in Teignmouth, lockdown saw her returning to the same areas again and again watching the vista changing with the weather and the season. 'I am an expressive painter who creates semi-abstract landscape paintings inspired by my surroundings here in the South West. 'I am fascinated by the way light, weather and seasons constantly change our environment. 'When I feel a strong connection with a particular place, I make regular visits to experience it at different times. This was particularly so during lockdown and the start of the Covid restrictions. 'The more I studied the same place, the more I became compelled to draw and make marks in different ways. This collection of work is a response to those restrictions and the result of being pushed to see with fresh eyes a place that is so familiar.'
Fearless
'My process begins outdoors with location studies using large format sketch books. I work fast and fearlessly in inks and pastels to capture the movement and energy of the particular moment and my emotional reaction to it. I also use side-notes and collect found objects scattered around me, which later become inspiration for my colour palette 'Back in the studio, I use my studies as a spring board for more developed pieces. Working primarily on the floor, I like to move freely around the canvas or board adding multiple layers of rich colour to reproduce what I saw and felt in the landscape.'
'Using a combination of acrylic, emulsion and pastels I physically pour, drip and splash the paint adding expressive marks which bring contrast, energy and depth to the final piece. 'I live in Teignmouth and married to Jon who is a dive supervisor. We've moved around a lot as we like to discover new places, but we always gravitated back to Devon. We finally settled in Teignmouth two years ago and it's been a great step. The location is perfect for my work as I'm right by the River Teign, five minutes from the coast path and also very close to Ideford Common and Haldon. 'So there's a fantastic mix of environments right here on my doorstep. 'I studied a BA in Illustration at UWE Bristol, then later completed an MA in Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art graduating with a Distinction. 'I went on to work as a picture book illustrator/author for Tate, Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House and Templar Books. 'My illustration agent is Claire Cartey at HolroydeCartey and she manages all my picture book contracts. As an illustrator my work is targeted to a young audience and involves lots of character design and storyboarding. I have created some award winning books, but this is only part of my creative life.
Passion
'My true passion lies in landscape drawing. There is an intense satisfaction I experience when I draw on location. This deep inner need to respond visually to my environment never fades. 'As I take my daily walks with Monty, my Hungarian Viszla, I connect to the landscape. I focus on feeling the wind, seeing how it moves things, listening to the sea or birds. 'I pay specific attention to the way horizon lines interact with foreground structures such as gates, trees or boats. I also look to compare scale and break down the landscape into abstracted forms. 'Once a place excites me I'll stop and start to draw/paint. I use black ink as it's responsive and expressive and I work quickly so that I don't have time to over analyse the scene, but instead respond intuitively, capturing the elements. 'These sketchbook studies are the starting point for collages or paintings once back in my studio. I work in a mixture of materials such as emulsion for its flat matt quality and collage paper for texture. 'I often tum to the work of British artist John Piper for inspiration. His marks were so loose and expressive and I am constantly inspired by his ability to change direction and medium. From abstract collage to large scale paintings to silk screen prints. This is how I personally like to work. I want to move between different mediums to discover new ways of expressing myself.
'Last year I decided to take a complete step back from illustrating to focus purely on landscapes as I wanted to develop a new body of work. 'I entered these recent paintings into the SWAC Reflections exhibition and was so thrilled to discover not only was I selected but I had won the Brownston Gallery Award! SO EXCITING! 'I particularly love the gallery as I admire the artists it represents. Particularly Jerry Browning and Teresa Pembertoll 'It was through the gallery that I first discovered Jerry's work. When you look at one of his paintings the colours radiate a particular light. They glow. You feel like you're experiencing a fresh spring day, or a balmy midsummers evening. He's a master at understanding how colours respond to one another. Similar to Mark Rothko. Although I prefer the bravery and purity of Jerry's marks as this adds movement and drama to his work.
'With Teresa's paintings, it's the wonderfully rich layering of colours that evoke feelings of far away places and exotic locations that I love. Her use of soft gestural marks makes her paintings shimmer. She has a masterful way of balancing cool and warm colours on the canvas, using tiny specks of vivid colour to move your eye around the painting. 'I am honoured to be given this award by Catherine at Brownston Gallery and feel really excited for my path ahead.'
Sam Boughton's work will form part of The South West Academy Exhibition 2021 at the Brownston Gallery, Modbury from March 19 to April 17.